I stepped forward, and his arms came around me.
Slowly, he lowered his head.
His phone rang, startling us both.
He hesitated, then gently set me away and fished it out of his pocket. He swiped the screen, a cloud passing over his face. “Sorry. I have to take this.”
My heart thudded. Something was up. “Go ahead. It’s fine.”
Taking a few steps away from me, he answered the call. “This is Adrik.” He listened a moment, his expression unreadable. “Thank you. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
He stuffed the phone back in his pocket. “It’s…my mother. She’s coherent for once and she’s asking for me.”
I relaxed, slipping my hand in his. “Then let’s go see her.”
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
Adrik
In all the times I’d visited my mother in the nursing home, not once had she recognized me. I didn’t have much hope that she would recognize me today, but I was going to see her, nonetheless. Even if Momdidn’trecognize me, I still wanted Annika to meet her. Mom would like Annika, and if things had been different, I think they would have been good friends.
A half hour later, we entered Mom’s room to see her sitting in a chair in front of the window, gazing out at the flower beds. Flowers had always made Mom happy. When I was a kid, I would often find her humming as she tended to the flowers she’d grown in planters around our house.
Taking Annika’s hand, I led her across the room.
“Hi, Ma. I brought a friend today.”
Mom turned her head, her gaze focusing on me. For a moment, her expression remained blank, then something clicked in her eyes, and she smiled. “Adrik! Oh, look at you! You’ve grown so tall! You look just like your papa!”
Mom had never recognized me with my scarred face, but now that I’d had my face repaired, she knew who I was. I didn’t know what to make of that.
I leaned down, giving her a hug, surprised when she hugged me back. “And who is this pretty young lady?” Mom asked.
I smiled, motioning Annika forward. Using her cane, Annika stepped in front of Mom and reached out to squeeze her hand. “I’m Annika. It’s so nice to meet you.”
“Annika.” Mom bobbed her head up and down. “That’s a nice name.”
“Thank you.” Annika glanced at me, her eyes swirling with happiness for me.
“Where’s Damien?” Mom asked, glancing behind me. “Isn’t he with you? He never comes to see me. That boy turned rotten like your father. Doesn’t care enough to see his own mother.”
My heart twisted. I didn’t want to talk about Damien or how “rotten” he’d become. I preferred to remember him as the sweet boy who’d idolized me.
I expelled a breath. “He’s not here, Ma.”
Mom’s gaze sought mine. And as she stared at me, something passed over her features, and then Mom was gone again, the disease once again taking over her mind. She no longer recognized me.
With a blank stare, she looked out the window again, staring at the flowers. Or maybe nothing at tall.
Annika slipped her hand in mine. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” I pulled up a chair next to Mom for Annika, then grabbed one for myself.
For a tiny moment there, I’d had my mother back.
But now she was gone again.
For the next hour or so, we sat with Mom, talking to her, but she never responded, never even acknowledged that we were there.